Cousinly Love
by NymphaTonksLupin
Summary: No, it is not Tonks/Draco slash. It is not Taco or whatever you want to call it. It's Remphadora and another ship I won't be mentioning for a while. hahaha Enjoy. Rated M just in case


_**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Sadly. Boo.**_

_**Trying to keep as canon as I can lately, but that just does not work. In this fic, Draco will be very off character. So don't bite me. **_

The knocking continued louder as she ran down the stairs.

She threw the door open to find her cousin standing at her front door.

"Draco?" She asked, slightly shocked. Draco would have been home for less than a week now.

"I had to leave. I couldn't stay." Draco said.

"Come in." Tonks said, letting him inside. "What are you doing here?"

"I ran away." Draco said. "I don't want to go back home, I don't want to go back to Hogwarts."

"But you have to." Tonks said. "Go back to Hogwarts, I mean. And home."

"I can't go home." Draco said. "Please. You're the only family I really have."

"Why can't you go home?" Tonks asked.

"Because Bellatrix is there." Draco stated.

"Okay, there's a slight problem. I have a job. And I know for a fact you have never had to bother learning how to take care of yourself. If I leave you here, you'll probably starve. So I'm taking you to my Mum and Dad's place. I'll get you after work." Tonks said. "Alright?"

"Alright." Draco said.

Tonks took Draco's bag from him. "I will be right back." She said, disappearing upstairs. A few minutes later, she came back down dressed in Auror robes.

She led Draco out of her small cottage and Apparated with him to her parents.

"Mum, Dad!" She called, opening the door and leading Draco in.

"Dora, is that you?" A woman asked, coming from the kitchen.

"No, I'm You-Know-Who." Tonks muttered. "I need a favour."

"What is it? Why is Draco here?" Andromeda asked.

"He can explain it all. I need you to keep him here while I'm at work." Tonks said.

"You're still working?" Andromeda asked.

"I'll stop after the wedding." Tonks said.

"Alright." Andromeda said. "Come along, Draco. I just made breakfast, Nymphadora. Would you like to stay and join us?"

"No, Mum. Another time. I have to get going." Tonks said. "I will be back for you later this evening, Draco."

The day passed quickly with Ted explaining a bunch of Muggle things to Draco. It began to get dark, and Andromeda kept checking out the window.

"She should have been off work hours ago." Andromeda said. "Ted, do you think something's happened?"

"Maybe she's just being held up." Ted said. "Don't worry so much."

"I'll start dinner. She can eat here later when she shows up. If she's not back in 2 hours, I'll go by her place and get your bag. Alright, Draco?"

Draco nodded.

It got darker, and Andromeda sent Ted to get Draco's bag.

"You can sleep in the guest room, Draco." Andromeda said. "I'll show you where it is."

* * *

"5 Aurors missing! On one mission!" Scrimgeour exclaimed. "This can not keep happening. Find out what happened to those 5 Aurors, find them, find bodies, find anything!"

"Minister, we suspect Voldemort has something to do with it-" Kingsley started.

"Those Aurors made an error somewhere, and ended up dead or unconcious somewhere. Find them." Scrimgeour demanded.

Kingsley faced Scrimgeour. "There is no way for us to locate any of them. They disappeared. One moment they were there, then they weren't. Simple as that. I believe fully that Voldemort had something to do with it, and we may find one or two of them. But not alive." He said.

"I want you in charge of the team finding them." Scrimgeour said. "I don't care who you use, as long as there's at least one body found."

"Alright, Rufus." Kingsley said.

"I don't think any of them would be dead." Scrimgeour said as Kingsley turned to leave. "As young as they were, they each are fantastic fighters. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had them working here. Find them, Shacklebolt. We're going to need all the Aurors we can get now that Voldemort is back."

Kingsley nodded and left.

* * *

She woke up on the ground. She pulled herself up to a sitting position,looking around her. Dim light lit up the small shed. She was alone, but she remembered the mission had gone terribly wrong and at least 5 of them had been taken.

_**Popping sounds filled the air. Everything had been going fine until that point, when more Death Eaters appeared. Other Aurors were getting captured, some being pulled away by Apparation. Tonks remembered getting grabbed, she wasn't sure who it had been...**_

_**Kingsley had yelled her name as she blacked out.**_

She knew if the Death Eaters had been smart, she wouldn't have her wand, and she'd have no way out. Clearly, who ever was in charge of this wasn't very smart. She didn't have her wand, but she could have a chance at escaping.

Tonks stood slowly. She pushed on the door to the shed. It didn't budge. Maybe the Death Eaters were smart. She felt the boards around the floor until she found a loose one. She wiggled it a bit until it came out. She could fight her way through the gap there was now, but if a Death Eater found her, she'd be dead instantly.

And even if she were to get out, where would she go? She had no clue how to get to safety. It was either wander until she found safety or stay here. Tonks lay flat on her stomach and looked out of the hole she created. All she saw were trees. She pulled herself into the small space, moving rocks from in front of her. It seemed easier than she thought at first, it only took her a few minutes to get through. She pulled herself up, quickly scanning her surroundings.

There were only trees. She didn't know which way she should go, but when she heard footsteps from her right and left, she ran straight forward.

The trees got thicker as she continued. She stopped after a while, sitting on a fallen log to catch her breath.

She was away from the place now, surely she was safe. Mostly safe. Death Eaters could be anywhere in these woods, she had no way of contacting the Order, and no way of knowing where to go.

She heard a twig snap somewhere and she turned quickly. She saw a figure, a blinding white light and felt pain shoot through her chest and then everything was black.

* * *

Kingsley entered the Burrow and found part of the Order looking over a map.

"We think she's here." Sirius explained to Kingsley. "You said two of them were found dead there. So, we think she's there."

"That, and Mad-Eye found this." Bill explained, holding up Tonks' wand.

"Where did you find it?" Kingsley asked.

"It was on my porch. With this note." Mad-Eye explained, giving Kingsley the note.

_Wood burns easily._

"That's all? 'Wood burns easily'?" Kingsley asked.

"Remember in the first war? Ted and Andromeda lived in that small house with the garden shed. Some Death Eaters burned it down in an attempt to kill whoever was in the house. Just the shed is there now. Trees have grown over where the house was, but there's still debris here and there of the house and some belongings." Mad-Eye explained.

"So, why do you think she's there?" Kingsley asked.

"It was the same note that the Order got right before they attacked the house." Sirius said. "And remember, Ted made jokes about the house. He said it would burn easily because they were in the middle of the woods."

"Then we should go check it out." Kingsley said. "Mad-Eye, Bill, can I use you two?"

"I want to help search." Sirius said as Bill and Mad-Eye stood.

A few minutes later, the four of them were standing where the house had once stood.

There was a figure on the ground where the house had once stood. They approached the shape. Tonks was laying as if she had been placed there, her hair arranged around her face gently. She looked as if she were asleep, her face surrounded by dark curls. She had been dressed in a simple white dress, her feet bare.

"Is she dead?" Bill asked. Kingsley looked toward Bill. Tonks had been Bill's first girlfriend, they were close friends.

Sirius knelt down next to Tonks. "No, she's breathing." He said. "We should get her to St Mungo's-"

"I'll take her, then go to the Ministry and talk to Scrimgeour." Kingsley said.

"Come by my house as soon as you find out what happened to her." Sirius said.

"I will." Kingsley said. "No one talk to Ted or Andromeda about this until I know what's happened, alright?"

* * *

Scrimgeour walked up the path to the quiet house. The sun was just beginning to rise behind him and the grass was wet from the night's rain.

He knocked on the door and waited. He could hear footsteps from inside approaching the door. The door swung open to reveal Andromeda Tonks.

"Minister Scrimgeour!" She said. "What brings you here so early? Is it about Nymphadora?"

"I know where Nymphadora is." Scrimgeour said. "She was found late yesterday evening by Auror Shacklebolt and taken to St Mungo's. The Healers have been with her all night trying to wake her up, or get some sort of response from her. The Minister has even allowed them to use the Cruciatus under his watch to try and get a response. There has been no response, and the Healers don't believe she ever will wake up. I'm sorry, Mrs Tonks."

He turned and left Andromeda standing in the doorway. Andromeda shut the door slowly.

"Andromeda, who was it?" Ted asked.

"Can you wake Draco? We have to go somewhere." Andromeda said. "Both of you get dressed."

A few minutes later, both Ted and Draco were waiting for Andromeda to explain who had been at the door.

"Drom-"

"Ted, it was Scrimgeour." Andromeda said. "He told me where Dora is. She's in St Mungo's, she may not wake up. The Healers want us to go see her."

A while later, Andromeda gathered herself and they walked into St Mungo's. A Healer led them to Tonks' bed.

The Healer left them alone, saying nothing about her condition. Tonks was pale and still, as if she were in a deep sleep.

Andromeda sat on the edge of the bed and hugged her daughter, trying to hide her tears.

"Dromeda, don't worry." Ted said. "She'll be fine."

Draco stood near the bed and the wall. In some ways, he felt he was invading this family.

"Oh Ted, what about Remus? The wedding?" Andromeda asked. "Has anyone told him?"

"I don't know, Dromeda, but let's not think about that now. Don't worry, Drom. She'll be fine." Ted said.

"Ted, Andromeda? Do you know if she's okay?" Remus asked, appearing in the door. "I just heard she was here-"

"Remus, it's dangerous for you to be here-" Ted said. "Werewolves are being treated worse-"

"Yes, I realise that, Ted. But forgive me for ignoring that so I could find out if my fiancee is dead or not." Remus said.

"I'm going to see if I can find a Healer to tell me anything." Andromeda said, standing up. She left with Ted following.

"It's been a few years, hasn't it, Draco?" Remus asked.

"Yes,sir." Draco said.

"Dora left me a note saying you were staying. Please, call me Remus." Remus said.

"Are you actually marrying her?" Draco asked.

"We're supposed to get married in two weeks, yes." Remus said.

"But does she know?" Draco asked. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked-"

"Everyone knows, Draco. Even her. She figured out. It's part of her job to be able to identify dark creatures." Remus said.

"Oh." Draco said.


End file.
